Katie Couric Interviews Tavi Gevinson, The Style Rookie

At an age when most of us were navigating the ins and outs of high school, Tavi Gevinson, 14, a blogger from outside Chicago, has ventured into an even more treacherous world: fashion. On her blog, thestylerookie.com, she shows a deep knowledge of clothing, an expert’s eye for pulling it together and a self-deprecating tone: “Ugh, being a pretentious teenager is exhausting,” she writes. She’s caught the attention of 35,000 daily visitors; fans include superstars like the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte and Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld. I was fascinated by her ascension through the ranks of the fabulous, not to mention her wardrobe—so I sat down to learn about the teen behind the blog.

KATIE COURIC: So the first question I wanted to ask is, how does a middle-class kid from Oak Park, Illinois, become so interested in high fashion?

TAVI GEVINSON: Well, about three years ago, I started reading a lot of fashion blogs. My best friend’s older sister had one, and she pointed me in the direction of sites she thought I’d like. This was before blogs were being written about in magazines or newspapers as much as they are now, before bloggers were a part of Fashion Week. So it was this tight-knit community, which really appealed to me.

KATIE COURIC: But when did it start? Were you in preschool and you really liked somebody’s Underoos or something?

TAVI GEVINSON: [Laughs.] I think I mostly just liked being comfortable. Then I got bored, and now my comfort zone is being uncomfortable, I guess, and having to tug at layers all day and fix jewelry. Which is fine, because I feel more like myself. I’ve always really liked being creative.

KATIE COURIC: So fashion has become an outlet for your creativity?

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah, definitely. It helps me either feel more like myself or see what it’s like to kind of, in a theatrical way, be someone else.

KATIE COURIC: How would you describe your blog to someone who just landed from Mars?

TAVI GEVINSON: It’s just an online diary, or a scrapbook, so there’s a combination of photos of my own outfits and what inspires, and a little commentary on the new shows.

KATIE COURIC: Why do you think your blog caught on?

TAVI GEVINSON: A big factor would be the age thing, and I guess the media is really intrigued by Internet—for lack of a better word—fame. But I like to think that a lot of people also just really liked it. A lot of the e-mails I get are like, “My friend showed it to me,” more than “I saw you in this magazine.”

KATIE COURIC: How do your parents feel about your newfound fame?

TAVI GEVINSON: Well, they’re surprised because clothes weren’t really a part of how we were raised, so they always let me and my sisters wear whatever we wanted. But they’re supportive. They like observing it from the corner of the room at a party. After the Chanel couture show in Paris last January, I met Karl Lagerfeld, and one of the PR women asked my dad if he wanted to meet him too, and he just kind of laughed and was like, “No, that’s her thing.”

KATIE COURIC: Do you know how funny that sounds—for you to say, “After the Chanel couture show last spring in Paris when I met Karl Lagerfeld”?

TAVI GEVINSON: It’s only when I type things out, when I’m writing my blog, that it hits me how ridiculous and really cool it is. But there’s no other way to introduce the story!

KATIE COURIC: I know. I’m just teasing. Was it strange, when you suddenly realized you’d penetrated the elusive and intimidating fashion industry?

TAVI GEVINSON: At first it was a little scary, because [I’m] such a big fan of all these people. But then [I] learned that they want things to be a certain way. The more that I learn about the problems with that kind of elitism and how it can stifle creativity, and how it’s for a very specific demographic, the kind of happier I am that it never really got to me or made me feel like I didn’t have a place. When I think about Fashion Week, I feel like I’m causing a big stink, and there are a lot of people who are very openly catty about it. But, I mean, it’s just funny, because honestly that’s, like, such high school cafeteria behavior. So it’s just sort of amusing.

KATIE COURIC: Hasn’t that been tough to handle as a 14-year-old? I mean, it’s tough for me when people criticize me and I’m, well, not 14!

TAVI GEVINSON: Well, I can totally understand the frustration, if you’ve been working for so long and then this whole Internet thing happens, and other people get the same opportunities that you’ve been wanting. But there’s a difference between having emotions and acting on them.

KATIE COURIC: What do you say to those who question whether a teenage girl can write as well as you do [and] produce the quality of work that you’re doing?

KATIE COURIC: Does he get on you for saying “like” so much? I have a 15-year-old, and I harass her all the time about it.

TAVI GEVINSON: I know, it’s awful. I think part of it is that you don’t want to come off too strong, so it’s sort of a way to sound more humble. But that’s not something I do consciously. It’s kind of a shy thing.

KATIE COURIC: But you have a pretty impressive vocabulary. Is that your dad’s work?

TAVI GEVINSON: I went to an awesome elementary school, and my parents always encouraged me to read a lot. Also, I’m really curious. Part of the doubt that I actually write my blogs comes from “How could she know what this old band is?” The Internet. If I hear about something and I don’t know what it is, I find out.

KATIE COURIC: You google it.

TAVI GEVINSON: Exactly.

KATIE COURIC: Why do you think people are so unbelievably vitriolic on the Internet?

TAVI GEVINSON: I think that everybody wants to be heard, and the easiest way to be the loudest is to be the hater. But you don’t know who’s behind the keyboard, and you don’t really know if their complaint is about the topic at hand or if they’re just bitter about something else.

KATIE COURIC: I agree. I always say, “Gee, they must not be very happy.”

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah, I mean, I think criticism is a good thing, but it’s usually easy to tell when there’s more behind that and it’s more a personal issue, I guess.

KATIE COURIC: But it can throw you off balance, because words matter and they can hurt.

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah, on really bad days, it’s kind of a laughing-to-keep-from-crying type of thing. But I don’t really read that much stuff about myself anyways, because I feel as though you then develop this mind-set of just making sure other people would approve of your decisions.

KATIE COURIC: This question is funny for me, because I’m often asking women about how they balance family with their careers. But how do you balance your homework and your blog?

TAVI GEVINSON: I get a lot done in school. If I miss class for some kind of traveling, I make it up. I have really understanding and flexible teachers. It’s not easy, but there are people who, you know, go to soccer practice after school or go to rehearsal for a play, and this is the same thing.

KATIE COURIC: Who are your influences, idols and heroes, and which designers are you loving right now?

TAVI GEVINSON: So many. I could really go on and on, but I will probably have to say Rei Kawakubo, my favorite designer; there’s Bob Dylan and Courtney Love, which will get an interesting response. Whenever I post about her on my blog, there’s an interesting response.

KATIE COURIC: Cindi Leive, the editor-in-chief of Glamour, had a question. She says your style is “really refreshing in this age of oversexed preteens and teens. It’s sort of granny-inspired, eclectic, super individual but never particularly sexy, which is, quite frankly, unusual considering that eight-year-old girls are being sold jeggings and boots with heels. Is this a conscious decision for you?”

TAVI GEVINSON: Yes and no. I’m in high school. There are moments when I am really not happy with how I look, or I think it would be an easy way out to try and do the conventionally attractive thing. But part of it is that I don’t have the energy to put on, like, makeup. If people want to do that, that’s fine. But I’ve learned that it’s not for me.

KATIE COURIC: I like it. As the mother of two teenage daughters, 19 and 15, I hate the move toward the slutty objectification of women. So I’m all for you, sister. [Laughs.] And you’re starting a magazine—so what will it and won’t it include?

TAVI GEVINSON: OK. As we were just saying, there’s so much sex being sold to teenage girls, and it sort of creates an identity for us before we’re allowed to find our own. So there will be a lot of that kind of sifting through everything that we’re marketed and taught and figuring out the motives behind it. I mean, just thinking about—no, I’m not going to say that.

KATIE COURIC: Go ahead!

TAVI GEVINSON: Oh, well, just thinking about that Disney purity, how we have this generation of pop stars who are supposed to pretend that they don’t feel any normal teenage desires, which is creepy. There will be some sifting through all that, and a more creative and fun look at making fashion fun instead of just about being attractive.

KATIE COURIC: And if you could take over Glamour for a day, how would you change it?

TAVI GEVINSON: I think it’s really hard to find a good women’s magazine, and I like that Glamour is way more about what you want and not what your man wants. I don’t really know what it’s like to be a woman yet, so I wouldn’t have too much insight, but I guess it would be a bit interesting to have more of that granny style in there. Because I think it should be easier for women to feel like they don’t have to be conventionally attractive or think of flattering clothing before they think of fun clothing.

KATIE COURIC: I think that’s a good point. Do you want to pursue a career in fashion? Or could you see yourself deciding you want to be on the Supreme Court or something?

TAVI GEVINSON: I think it’d be great to own a fun concept store with my friends and just sell books and records. And I love writing. But, like, I also want to make horror movies.

KATIE COURIC: So, not sure.

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah, I’m not really sure. And I don’t want to say now because then I sort of have to think about everything in relation to that one goal, and it, like, stresses me out. I just said “like” again.

TAVI GEVINSON: Umm, probably the most crazy for me was singing karaoke with Carly Klaus at Barneys on Fashion’s Night Out. Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen] were judging. I’m more comfortable sitting back and loving it when other people do stuff like that.

KATIE COURIC: Let me do a couple of reader questions, and then I’ve got to get ready to do my evening newscast, which I know you’re getting ready to watch, right, Tavi? [Laughs.]

TAVI GEVINSON: [Laughs.] Yes.

KATIE COURIC: Can you say that with a little more sincerity?

TAVI GEVINSON: Oh, yes! Definitely!

KATIE COURIC: Thank you. Pinkpepsigirl on glamour.com says, “First of all, Tavi is a phenomenal blogger. Her views on fashion are brilliant, and her posts are inspirational to fashionistas of any age. Praise aside, I’d like to ask what advice she would happen to have for one aspiring to work in fashion?”

TAVI GEVINSON: I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to write about things that I love from my bedroom. So as a very general piece of advice: Just really be passionate and stick to your creative vision. Because it’s competitive, and there are so many mind games and so many things that could get in the way. But success is the best revenge, so build yourself up rather than knock others down.

KATIE COURIC: Vitalija on glamour.com says, “What is it like to lead such a different lifestyle from other people your age?”

TAVI GEVINSON: I am lucky that I can go to school and have a great group of friends and do extracurricular activities as well as lead this kind of life, but I don’t think of it as a double life or Hannah Montana. It’s just my life. And I think that I get enough of that teenage world, or at least enough that I can handle before I want to go home from the party or whatever.

KATIE COURIC: What other kinds of things do you like to do that may seem more typical of a girl your age?

TAVI GEVINSON: I hang out with my friends, I do school theater, I do my homework, I read a lot.

KATIE COURIC: Do you play sports at all?

TAVI GEVINSON: Oh God, I’m awful at sports. In gym I just try and avoid getting hit in the face.

KATIE COURIC: [Laughs.] Amber on Facebook asks, “How do you see your style progressing as you get older?”

TAVI GEVINSON: I don’t know, because when I was in seventh grade, I thought I would never change, and I have, a lot. I hope I’ll become more sure of myself, because this isn’t a great age.

KATIE COURIC: Yeah, it is a hard age, isn’t it? It’s hard to feel confident when you’re a 14-year-old girl.

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah.

KATIE COURIC: I’m going to have to ask my daughter if she goes to your blog, because she just turned 15 yesterday.

TAVI GEVINSON: Happy birthday to her!

KATIE COURIC: And all she does, really, is watch reruns of The O.C. right now.

TAVI GEVINSON: Awesome. That’s what my friends do.

KATIE COURIC: Really?

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah. It’s having a weird comeback.

KATIE COURIC: It must be because I used to watch it with my older daughter, who’s in college now, and now I’m seeing, like, Mischa Barton again, and it’s really bizarre. Poor Mischa Barton—I feel sorry for her. There’s so much pressure to be perfect and—like you said—to be conventional, and what good is that?

TAVI GEVINSON: I know. I googled Scream 4 yesterday because I’m really excited to see it. And something came up about Neve Campbell at the beach and how she’s gained weight or whatever. I was like, I want to know about the movie and her career, and I don’t really care about how much she weighs.

KATIE COURIC: These people are such idiots.

TAVI GEVINSON: Yeah.

KATIE COURIC: For everyone who writes nasty things like that, I want to say, “Send me an 8” x 10” of you in a bathing suit so I can post it.”